Artificial-tooth fastening for bridgework.



No. 806,034. PATENTED NOV. 28,1905.

. T. H. WHITBSIDB,

ARTIFYIGIAL TOOTH FASTENING FOR BRIDGBWORK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1905 r/bmash. W/L ifas/a/WH QVitneowa as, I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

THoMAs'H'. WTHITESID'E,

OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented gov. 28, 1905.

A li ation {119.1 June a, 1905. Serial No. 263,800.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS H..WHITEs1nn,

a citizen of the United States, residing at The invention possessesspecial utility in connection with that type of artificial-toothfastenings involvingvan anchoring-pin and provides a construction whicheffectually resists the shearing strain on the pin. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a secure fastening orholding-seat for the tooth in its bridge-plate or cap and also toprovide for strengthening the connection between the teeth of a pluralbridge by affording space for a greater body of solder or other materialwithout increasing the size or dimension of the parts.

face or edge of the tooth-body.

With these and many other objects in view, which will more readilyappear to those familiar with the art as the nature of theinvention 1embodiment thereof is shown in the accompais better understood, the sameconsists in the novel construction, combination, and arrange ment ofparts, which w1ll be hereinafter more fully illustrated, described, andclaimed.

The essential features of the invention involved in the construction forcarrying out the nying drawings, in which' Figure 1 1s a perspectiveview of a dental bridge of plural form-'2. a, embodying more ordinarilyimposed than one artificial tooththe view illustrating one of the teethremoved to expose the inner configuration of the bridge-plate or cap.Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, the View includingthe finishingfacing or facing-piece for the lingual side of thebridgeplate or cap. Fig. 3 is a detail in perspective of anartificialtooth constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 4 is'asectional view of the. tooth.. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation ofthelingual side of the bridge shown in Fig. 1, exposing the parts asthey appear before the finishing-backing is applied thereto andillustrating the continuity of the holding-notches formed in directlyadjoining and united bridge-plates or'caps. Like reference-numeralsdesignate corresponding parts in the several figuresof the drawings. a

The improvements contemplated by the present invention are applicable tobridgework applied to any part of the 'mouth, and in all forms of teeththe construction is the same for fastening the tooth to its bridge-plateor cap. This construction is preserved in a single-tooth bridge as wellas in a plural bridge made up rying out the invention the bridge,whether made of one or more teeth, may be anchored or secured to theabutment teeth or roots by -means of any of the well-known approveddental expedients. So for the purposes of the present invention it isonly necessary to consider the construction of the artificial tooth andthe complemental construction of its backingplate or cap.

The artificial tooth proper of the dental bridge forming thesubject-matter of the prespresent invention the tooth or toothbody(designated. by the numeral 1) is provided in its base, on the lingualside thereof, with a pinsocket 2 of a depth and shape to conform to theanchoring end of the anchor pin or plate associated therewith in themanner to be presently explained. At opposite sides of the pin-socket 2the tooth-body also has formed in its base, on the lingual side thereof,inclined holdingis preferably produced by forming the said notches of aVor angular shape in cross-section. In addition to being of anoutwardly-flaring width and arranged upon opposite sides of of a numberof artificial teeth. Also, in carent invention is made in the usualmanner of porcelain or equivalent material; but 1n the notches 3 of anoutwardly-flaring width,which the plane of the pin-socket the saidholdingnotches 3 converge in a direction toward the said socket, as maybe plainly seen from Fig. 3 of the drawings. Another feature of thetooth construction resides in providing the tooth-body on its lingualside and at one side of the plane of both the socket 2 and the notches 3with a transversely-disposed segmental retaining-fiange I, which formsinside of the plane thereof and about the pin-socket a fastening-pocket5, constituting a securingseat for the tooth in connection with itscomplemental backingplate or cap. Another feature of the improvement inthe tooth-body construction consists in providing the same on itslingual side in approximate parallelism to the flange 1, but nearer thebiting surface or edge of the tooth, with a segmental or semiannularoffset 6, which constitutes a marginal reinforce-shoulder for one edgeof the backing-plate 7.

The backing-plate 7 is sometimes termed the metal bridge andfastening-cap for the artificial tooth or porcelain facing and usuallyconsists of a plate of gold or equivalent material to afford a base uponwhich the toothbody is fitted and secured. As is well known, any numberof the backing-plates 7 may be soldered together in side-by-siderelation, according to the number of teeth in the bridge; but incarrying out the present invention each of the said plates 7 is ofduplicate construc tion and has a configuration forming an exactcomplement of the configuration of the lingual side of theartificial-tooth body 1.

The backing-plate or cap 7 for the toothbody has soldered or otherwiserigidly secured therein an anchor-pin 8, having its securing oranchoring end arranged to register in the pin-socket 2 of the tooth andto be securely cemented therein,thus affording a solid attachment of thetooth to the pin. The anchoring end of the pin 8 is projected beyond acentral rounded engaging boss 9, set up from what may be termed thelabial side of the plate and having a registering engagement within thefastening pocket or seat 5 of the tooth, thus insuring the accuratepositioning of the tooth in relation to its backingplate and giving asecure seat for the tooth on and in such plate. In connection with thecentral engaging boss 9 the backing-plate 7 is provided on the labialside thereof with inclined locking-ribs 10, disposed, respectively, atopposite sides of the plane of the pin 8 and boss 9 and convergentlyrelated to the pin. The said locking-ribs 10 are also preferably of anangular or V shape in cross-section and have a registering engagementwith the holding-notches 3 of the tooth-body. At one end thebacking-plate is formed with an edge-securing flange 11, which registerson and in the marginal reinforce-shoulder 6 of the toothbody and istherefore finished flush with the peripheral surface of the tooth. Thisconstruction maintains a sufficient edge strength for the-backing-pieceor cap, whether the latter is made of gold or other material.

By reason of forming the labial side of the backing-piece 7 as describedthe lingual side of the backing presents the same configuration as thelingual side of the tooth and is provided with corresponding notches 3,retaining-flange 1, and ofiset 6. However, in this correspondingconfiguration it will be observed that an important feature thereofresides in the fact that in a plural bridge where adjoining plates aresoldered together the adjacent holding-notches 3 form a continuouspocket for receiving the solder, and thereby provide a continuousfastening between the adjacent backing-plates. (See Fig.

To finish the bridge, the backing-plate 7 has soldered or otherwisesecured over the lingual side thereof a gold or equivalent facing-piece12, as plainly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed,and desired to besecured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an artificial-tooth fastening for bridgework, a backing carryingan anchor-pin and rib projections, and a tooth-body provided in itslingual side with a pin-socket and holdingnotches.

2. In an artificial-tooth fastening for bridgework, a backing carryingan anchor-pin and having rib projections at opposite sides of the pin,and an artificial-tooth body provided in its lingual side with apin-socket and oppositely-arranged holding-notches.

3. In an artificial-tooth fastening for bridgework, a backing carryingan anchor-pin and having inclined locking-ribs at opposite sides of thepin, and a tooth-body having in its lingual side a pin-socket andoppositely-arranged inclined holding-notches.

4. In an artificial-tooth fastening for bridgework, the tooth-bodyhaving in its lingual side a pin-socket, convergently-related angularholding-notches at opposite sides of the socket, and a projectingtransversely-disposed retaining-flange producing'a fastening-seat aboutthe socket, and a metal backing carrying the anchor-pin and having aconfiguration complementary to that of the lingual side of thetooth-body.

5. In an artificial-tooth fastening for bridgework, the tooth-bodyprovided in its lingual side with a pin-socket, and convergently-rclatedangular holding-notches arranged at opposite sides of the socket, saidtooth-body being further provided at one side of the plane of both thenotches and the socket with a projecting transversely-disposcdretaining-flange, and also with a marginal reinforce-shoulder arrangedin approximate parallel relation to said flange but nearer the bitingsurface or edge of the tooth, and a metal backing carryfittedto andcovering the lingual sides of the I 1. ing the anchor-pin and having aconfigurabackings; tion complementary to that of the lingual side Intestimony whereof I hereunto aflix my of the tooth-body. signature inthe presence of two Witnesses.

6. A dental bridge comprising adjoining backings provided in theirlingual surfaces S WHITESIDE' With contiguous communicating holding-Witnesses: notches, the tooth-bodies secured to the la- VENNA J.LAMB,

bial sides of the backings, and facing-pieces HELEN HALLBERG.

